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How to use a junior hacksaw

Before you begin

Secure your material

Before you begin working, you may find it helpful to secure the material you want to cut in a vice or clamp, and then secure this to your work bench or table.

This is often done when cutting through metal piping, which can easily slide around or roll away from you if it’s not held down.

Use masking tape as a guide

If you want to cut along a straight line but don’t have a scriber for marking metal, then you can always use a strip of masking tape instead.

Should you push or pull?

Providing you have inserted the blade correctly, with the teeth facing away from the handle, the junior hack saw should cut on the push stroke.

This means that you only need to apply pressure to the saw when pushing it through the material. If you use a lot of force when pulling the saw as well, it won’t cut any quicker and you will simply tire yourself out, and possibly damage the saw’s teeth as well.

Starting your cut

To start your cut, push the blade slowly across the surface of your material in one long, smooth stroke.

Remember to apply downward pressure on the push stroke, and ease off as you pull the saw back towards you.

If you’re not an experienced hand saw user, getting a feel for the amount of force needed can take a bit of practise, but don’t be put off.

Test out your sawing technique on some scrap material to get an idea of how much pressure to apply and the speed at which you feel comfortable. If you break or bend a blade, don’t throw a tantrum - Try, try, try again!